Richard Fahey: Up for the Cup

Ribchester continues to really please me ahead of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in a fortnight’s time. His work is good and there won’t be anything else going into that race in better form.

We’ve still got lots to play for before then though and we’ve a good team going down to Ascot on Saturday, where the feature race is the Totescoop6 Challenge Cup, a race where the first prize is more than £100,000 and which we won three years ago with Heaven’s Guest.

Heaven’s Guest is one of three we’ve got in it this year and although he hasn’t been showing it in his last couple of starts, he does like Ascot and he has crept a couple of pounds down the weights at last. He’s in grand old form at home, so hopefully he can show it on the track too.

Right Touch has improved again this season and doesn’t really know how to run a bad race. I wonder if he might want a drop of rain though.

Growl is the obvious one after he finished second in the Ayr Gold Cup last time and seven furlongs didn’t seem to be a problem when he tried it before in the Bunbury Cup. He came out of the race in good form and this looked an obvious one to go for.

I was pleased with him at Ayr and he must have a chance, even if he’s now rated 104 and you’ve got to be a very nice horse to win one of these big handicaps off that kind of mark – let’s hope he is because he will need to be. He’s actually in the Champions Sprint at Ascot but we’ll get this race out of the way first.

Don’t Touch came back a little bit sore from the July Cup. I was expecting better that day and he didn’t show it, but we’ve got him right again now for the John Guest Bengough Stakes. He’d won his Listed race before then so we have got to step him up to Group Three class and this looked the obvious race. I’m pleased with him although it’s not an easy race.

Celebration runs in the McGee Group Joining Jack Handicap and he’s got something to prove after a poor run last time at Doncaster, but at home he seems in good shape and I’d give him a little outside chance although he’s still got plenty of weight.

The big race at Redcar is the Totepool Two-Year-Old Trophy and we’ve got four running, but I’m not overly hopeful.

I’m not sure how Champion Harbour has got in rated 62, but he’ll take his chance even if he has got a lot to find. Abiento won his maiden well enough last time and I think six furlongs suits him better than seven, but he’s got 20lb to find with the favourites.

The Wagon Wheel is a filly we like, as everyone knows. It might just be that the race at Goodwood came too soon for her last time and she was …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com